Ball bearing hinge



Aug. 6, 1935. w. D. FERRIS BALL BEARING HINGE Filed July 22,

Patented Aug. 6, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE I BALL BEARING HINGEWilliam D. Ferris, Sterling, 111., assignor to Frantz I Manufacturing00., of Illinois Sterling, Ill., a corporation Application July 22,1933, Serial No. 681,699

Claims. (01. 16-136) 5 whereby a plurality of ball bearings, one aboveanother, are insured for the hinge, regardless of whether the hinge isused on a right or left door.

, It is also an object to providecertain details and features ofconstruction tending to increase the efliciency and desirability ofaball bearing hinge of this particular character. c

To the foregoing and other useful ends, the invention consists. inmatters hereinafter set forth and claimed and shown in the accompanyingdrawing, in which Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a hinge embodying, theprinciple of the invention, showing the ,same in condition for aso-called left-hand door.

Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the hinge in condition for use on aright-hand door. Fig. 3 is a perspective showing the parts of the hingeseparated, and ready to be assembled together in the manner shown inFig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a similar perspective view showing the parts for assembly asshown in Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged perspective view of one of the ball bearings, oneof the so-called units, with certain portions thereof in section.

Fig. 6 is a horizontal section or diagram showing the operation of thehinge on a left-hand door.

Fig. 7 is a similar diagrammatic view showing the hinge on a right-handdoor.

As thus illustrated, the invention comprises a hinge leaf I having threeknuckles 2, 3 and 4, and having three screw holes 5, 6 and I which arecountersunk on both sides of the plate, so that either side may besecured to theedge of a door, depending upon whether the latter is aright or a left-hand door.

The leaf 8 has two knuckles 9 and I0 and has screw holes I I, I2 and I3which need to be countersunk on one side only, as this leaf is alwaysreceived by the door frame. This leaf 8 is turned one way, as shown inFig. 1 and Fig. 3, for the left-hand door shown in Fig. 6, and is thenturned upside down, as shown in Fig. 2 and Fig. 4, for the right-handdoor shown in Fig. 7. The ball units I4 and I4 are duplicates, and areeach constructed as shown in Fig. 5. The upper ball race I5 is rigidwith the sheet metal cap l6, and the lower ball race I! is rigid with asheet metal member that has a portion I8 that extends into swivel orloose engagement with the race I5, and

which has a larger portion I9 that fits over one of the knuckles 9, asshown. The balls 20 are disposed between the two races. The units I4 arethen shaped or formed to engage either end of a knuckle 9, dependingupon which end of the leaf 8 is uppermost. Thus the ball units I4 areremovable and replaceable, and the hinge always aifords two ballbearings to sustain the weight The pivotal or hinge pin 22 is adapted toextend down through the knuckles and ball bearings in either conditionof the hinge. The door 23 in Fig. 6 is called a left because it opens orswings out to the left, while the door 24 in Fig. '7 is called a rightbecause it opens to the right.

From the foregoing, it will be seen that the two ball units I4 arealways right side up, with their notched flanges I9 at the bottom. Also,it will be seen that in either condition of the hinge, for a right or aleft door, these ball units are each on one of the knuckles 9 and Ill,whereby each of these two units is transferable to one or the other ofthese two knuckles, when the hinge is changed from a right to a leftdoor. Again, it will be seen that the two knuckles 3 and 9, or 3 and I0,depending upon the condition of the hinge, are always between the twoball units, so that the latter are always separated by two knuckles ondifferent leaves of the hinge.

Also, from the foregoing, it will be seen that the construction involvesleaves having interfitting knuckles, with the leaf 8 having its upperand lower ends reversible for right and left doors but keeping the samesurface outward, and the other leaf I having its surfaces reversible butalways keeping the same end downward, whereby the ball bearing units arealways each carried by a different knuckle and are each always on thesame knuckle for right and left doors but on different ends of the sameknuckle.

It will be seen that the knuckles 2, 3, and 4 are on-center, withrelation to their leaf I, while the knuckles 9 and I0 are off-center,relatively to their leaf 8, whereby the latter is adapted to closetightly against either side of the leaf I, as shown in Figs. 6 and 7 ofthe drawing.

Thus one leaf of the hinge has two off-center knuckles, 9 and III, whilethe other leaf has three on-center knuckles, 2, 3 and 4, the on-centerleaf having one surface engageable with a right door, and the othersurface with a left door, tending not only to simplify and render theinstallation of hinges of this kind more satisfactory in actual use, butalso to solve the problem of manufacture more satisfactorily.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. A door hinge comprising leaves having interfitting knuckles, with oneleaf having its upper and lower ends reversible for right and leftdoors, and a plurality of ball units for said knuckles, together with apintle extending through the knuckles and units, the latter beingengageable with either end of each knuckle of said reversible leaf, sothat the weight of the door is on a plurality of ball bearings foreither a right or a left door, one said ball unit comprising upper andlower ball races, with balls between them, a sheet metal cap rigid withthe upper race, said cap having a horizontal wall extending between theupper ball race and the knuckle, and having acylindrical flangeextending downwardly around the lower ball race as well as the upperball race, and a sheet metal member rigid with the lower race and havingmeans connecting the latter with the upper race, said member having aportion to fit over the knuckle of the reversible leaf.

2. A door hinge comprising leaves having interfitting knuckles, with oneleaf having its upper and lower ends reversible for right and leftdoors, but keeping the same surface outward, and the other leaf havingits two surfaces reversible but always keeping the same end downward,and a plurality of ball units for said knuckles, together with a pintleextending through the knuckles and units, the latter being engageablewith and disengageable from either end of each knuckle of said end forend reversible leaf, so that the weight of the door is on a plurality ofball bearings for either a right or a left door, means for fasteningsaid leaf having reversible surfaces to the door, and means forfastening the leaf having reversible ends to the doorway.

3. A structure as specified in claim 2, said end for end reversible leafhaving screw holes that are countersunk on one side only of the leaf, sothat the other side may always engage the door frame, each leaf having aknuckle that is between the two ball units, in either condition of thehinge, whereby there are always two knuckles between the units, theother leaf having screw holes that are countersunk on both sides of theleaf, whereby either side of this other leaf may be secured to the door,and the knuckles and units all fitting tightly together, in either rightor left use of the hinge, so that the door can be removed only bywithdrawing said pintle, which latter is insertable in either end ofsaid reversible leaf.

4. A structure as specified in claim 2, one said ball unit comprisingupper and lower ball races, with balls between them, a sheet metal caprigid with the upper race, said cap having a horizontal wall extendingbetween the upper ball race and the knuckle, and having a cyindricalflange extending downwardly around the lower ball race as well as theupper ball race, and a sheet metal member rigid with the lower race andhaving means connecting the latter with the upper race, said memberhaving a portion to fit over the knuckle of the reversible leaf.

5. A door hinge comprising leaves having interfitting knuckles,adjustable in different relations for right and left doors, there beingtwo off-center knuckles on one leaf and three oncenter knuckles on theother, ball units on the top of each of the two knuckles, with themiddle and upper knuckles of the other leaf resting on said units,whereby the similar units re carried by as many different knuckles andeach unit is always on the same knuckle, for right and left doors, theon-center leaf having one surface engagea-ble with a right door and theother surface with a left door, said ball units having sockets that areengageable with and detachable from their respective knuckles, thesockets always facing downward, and the leaf of the latter beingreversible end for end, for right or left doors, whereby the weight ofthe door is always on a plurality of ball units.

WILLIAM D. FERRIS.

